I care
by DrarryForLifeYAYY
Summary: Drarry one shot... Again. I think this is my best one yet, would appreciate your opinion.


Draco's POV

A strong wind blew, harsh and cold. Dry leaves littered the ground, a gold carpet covering the earth. The freezing air nipped at my skin, but I ignored it in favor of thinking of more important problems.

What had happened back there in the Great Hall? I couldn't have explained it. I'd felt...different. There had been butterflies in my stomach, and my head had felt dizzy. What was wrong with me?

''Draco! Come back!'' Pansy yelled.

I pressed my back harder against the tree, willing her away with my mind. I wanted to be left along, dammit! I didn't have time for her endless questioning.

''Draco, I know you're out here! Come back in! You don't even have a coat, you're going to catch your death!''

Once again, I ignored her.

"Draco! Your father will kill me if something happens to you! Your his only heir!" she tried.

I snorted to myself. That's the only reason people ever cared about me. Because of Father. If they got in his good books, they would receive things, or their family would get promoted in the Ministry, etc. And Father only wanted meto carry on the Malfoy line. At least Mother still genuinely cared, but Father pretty much ordered her not to pamper meand to leave my bringing up to him, the house elves and Hogwarts.

"Why did you come out here anyways?" Pansy asked, spinning around and trying to locate me.

I wondered the same thing. Why had I? What had frightened me so that I had to flee, and yet not knowing from what I was fleeing?

I replayed the scene in my head, trying to see what had made me run so suddenly from the Great Hall.

I had just taken my seat, and was waiting for food to appear. Greg and Vince were sitting on either side of me, and Pansy sat with Blaise in front. I was facing the other house tables, my back against the wall. And then Potter had walked in. He had sat down and I'd observed his face, as he spoke with Granger and Weasel. He was smiling, until Granger said something that had caused him to bite his lip. A surge of emotion had then grabbed my heart, butterflies had appeared in my stomach, and I had made my escape so that I could think.

But it was still unclear to me what exactly had caused my sudden departure.

"Fine, be like that! I'm going inside!" said Pansy, and stormed back up the path to the castle.

I sighed in relief. Finally, I was going to be left alone.

A slight rustle of material and a snapping twig brought my attention back to where I was. Was there someone here with me? What else would explain that sound? I stayed perfectly still and strained my ears, but the sound didn't repeat itself. Must have been my imagination.

I slumped down at the base of the tree I was standing beside. Burying my head in my hands, I thought, and thought.

I slight whimper wrenched itself from my throat to accompany the tears that were building up in my eyes. A sudden pressure on my arm caused me to snap my head upwards, searching for who it was. That, surely, could not be a figment of my imagination.

No, it was real. A hand grabbed my own, pulling me up to a standing position. Another one caressed my cheek softly. Baffled by this, I didn't make a move to stop it, or anything like that.

A soft, watery material was between me and the other person. They cradled my face, and I leaned in to the touch. I didn't think that maybe it was some sort of prank from the Gryffindors. All I cared about was that, for a moment, it felt like someone cared, someone was interested inme, not money my father had.

Harry's POV

I watched as Malfoy softly cried while I held him. He didn't make any attempt at making me reveal myself or anything, he just held me as if his life depended on it. I stroked his hair, wanting to comfort him. He didn't deserve the hate everyone gave him. And his "friends" certainly didn't deserve him.

"Who are you?" he whispered. I stayed silent and didn't move. He let go of me and glance at approximately where my face was. "Thank you."

As he walked away and back to the school, I stayed completely still. My heart was beating thunderously in my chest, and I felt butterflies the size of vultures swoop around in my stomach. Then I headed the same way as Malfoy had, my cloak still wrapped tightly around myself, the only thing to indicate I had been through there being footsteps in the muddy earth, quickly being covered again by golden and red leaves blown around by the wind.

The next day, at breakfast, Malfoy kept glancing around him, the fear in his eyes disguised, hidden behind a sneer. I knew what he feared. He was afraid I'd have told someone about yesterday, that the entire school would not know. It was a good thing he hadn't known it was me. That would only have caused him more stress.

As I sat down with Ron and Hermione, Seamus and Dean following right behind us, Malfoy seemed to relax. Of course. If us Gryffindors hadn't caused a scene yet, it clearly wasn't us that were there yesterday. Or at least if it was, we hadn't told.

Ron scarfed down food while Hermione read her textbooks, preparing for today's class. Dean whispered in Seamus's ear, causing a blush to rise on the Irish boy's face.

Draco's POV

I stood at the tree again, wishing that the mysterious person would come back. They were a comfort. The only one that cared. Or at least that's how I felt.

My wish came true, when a hand touched my arm. An image of a smiling Potter popped into my mind, causing me to violently shake my head to clear my thoughts. But the image kept coming back. I sunk down to my knees and stayed that way, kneeling in the mud. A hand descended upon my shoulder, and another stroked my cheek. And I felt better, even if the image of Potter didn't leave.

The meetings continued. I would come to the tree every day, no matter how cold it was. During the winter, I would come wrapped up in my cloak and scarf, and the other would join me. There were never words spoken, but the actions showed silent support. "I care", they said. And, knowing it would hurt me later, I stayed. At least I felt whole, or almost whole now. It would have been less painful to never know care at all in my life, for I would never have known what I had been missing out on. But now I was addicted to these meetings, and I couldn't let it go, no matter how much I knew it would pain me when I remembered these in ten years, when I had a wife from some rich pure-blooded family hanging on my arm thanks to an arranged marriage, and a heir walking around with the same haughty and arrogant air I'd carried all through my childhood. I was addicted to this feeling. Someone cared.

It was summer now. I still came to the tree, though the other sometimes didn't. Those were the days I would sit against the cool bark and watch Potter practice Quidditch with the rest of the Gryffindor team. I'd deduced long ago that the other was probably a Gryffindor Quidditch player, but I couldn't bring myself to care. They hadn't told anyone yet. They probably wouldn't any time soon.

I pretended that I didn't wish it was Potter. Nope, I totally didn't hope with all my being that it was Potter that came to the tree everyday and sat with my in silence. But I couldn't deny it for long. Whenever the other came, I could see Potter in my mind, smiling down at me. I felt happy in those moments. Until reality crashed back onto me and I was forced to think about the probability that iswasPotter. Something along the lines of 1 in a million.

The school year was coming to an end. Tomorrow, it would all be over. I'd heard of Potter's involvement in the incident at theDepartment of Mysteries. My father was in Azkaban now. Honestly, Iwas glad, though outwardly, I showed nothing but contempt towards everyone that thought the same. I couldn't let them know that I'd rather my father die, so that I could live my own life, dream my own dreams.

I stood, for one last time, at the tree, caressing the bark that had become so familiar over time. I wasn't expecting the other to come tonight. After all, it was time to pack, and I'd only come because I'd been finished doing that particular thing days ago.

A hand rested on my shoulder, the usual greeting I got from the other. Startled, I spun around suddenly, stepping on a piece of fabric in the process. I searched the ground with my eyes for it, but found nothing. So it was an invisibility cloak then.

I don't know what possessed me, but I reached out a hand and felt the fabric, slowly, giving the other time to back away if they wanted, I took it in my hand and pulled it away, wondering who the other was. I at least deserved that, didn't I?

The cloak fell away. And there stood Harry Potter.

I gasped. The moonlight shone on his face, making him seem even more angelic than ever. And in that moment, I regretted every single insult I'd thrown and Weasley and Granger, and at all the other people, Potter most of all.

Taking advantage of my surprised state, he pulled me close to him. Stunned, I didn't make a move to stop him. His green eyes bore into mine, and I stared back, entranced by their emerald color. My lips parted and so did his, meeting in a soft kiss. It didn't last long, but in those few seconds, everything seemed to stop. The world around me froze, fading to black in white. Hear built up in my heart, burning with a feeling I had never felt before. Love.

And as we pulled back, he whispered two words.

"I care."


End file.
